Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Nashville.
943A Doctor Richard G Adams Dr, Nashville, TN 37207
Metro has taken no latex paint here since January 1, 2014. Latex is on Metro's not-accepted list, so dry it at home instead. You unload your own car at Metro convenience centers.
3254 Ezell Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
PaintCare's listing says the center sits behind the South Police Precinct and tells GPS users to enter 5113 Harding Place. This is the south-side choice; East Center is the north-side one. Omohundro and Anderson Lane centers do not take hazardous waste.
Your state doesn’t have a PaintCare program, so stores here don’t take paint for free. These are the public drop-off programs PaintCare’s map lists, closest first. Most only serve their own residents and some charge a fee. Call before you go.
943A Doctor Richard G Adams Dr, Nashville, TN 37207
3254 Ezell Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
417 Century Court, Franklin, TN 37064
4303 Sulphur Springs Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
1140 Haley Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Wall paint is almost always latex. If there's an inch or less, leave the lid off until it's hard. If there's more, stir in kitty litter or sawdust. Bag the dry can and put it in your cart. Don't drive it to a convenience center; they won't take it.
Take it to East or Ezell Pike, whichever is closer, Tuesday to Saturday. It's free up to 15 gallons or 100 pounds this month. Water-based deck stain gets turned away, so dry those cans instead.
Metro checks for a Tennessee driver's license showing a Davidson County address. If yours isn't updated yet, call 615-862-5000 before you go.
Full, unused, labeled water-based paint less than a year old can go to a Habitat ReStore during donation hours. Older or opened cans don't qualify.
Take oil-based paint, stain and varnish to the East or Ezell Pike convenience center, Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; it's free with a Davidson County driver's license. Latex paint isn't accepted. Dry it out with the lid off or with kitty litter, then bag it and put it in your trash.
Nashville splits paint in two. Oil-based paint, stain and varnish go free to Metro's East or Ezell Pike convenience center. Latex paint is not taken there at all: Metro wants you to use it up, give it away, or dry it and put it in your trash.
Metro runs four convenience centers, but hazardous waste goes only to East (943A Doctor Richard G Adams Dr) and Ezell Pike (3254 Ezell Pike). Omohundro and Anderson Lane don't take it. Both are open Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Staff ask for a Tennessee driver's license with a Davidson County address. Out-of-county residents are turned away, and so is any work truck, van with a business logo, or vehicle with commercial tags.
Metro's list rejects latex and acrylic paint and also water-based stains. Oil-based stain and varnish are fine. Check the label: "latex", "water-based" or "acrylic" means dry it; "oil based" or "alkyd" means take it to East or Ezell.
Metro's latex guide says a can with an inch or less will dry with the lid off in a ventilated spot away from kids and pets. More than an inch? Stir in shredded paper, sawdust, mulch, kitty litter or a paint hardener. Bag the dry can and put it in your trash cart.
The free limit is 15 gallons or 100 pounds per household per month, with one hazardous waste visit a day. A large oil-paint cleanout may need trips in two different months.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville's ReStores take water-based paint only if the cans are full, unused, labeled and less than a year old, Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Opened cans won't qualify. Tennessee has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back for free. TDEC's mobile collection days, including Sumner County's October 17, 2026 event in Goodlettsville, no longer take paint.
Sort cans into latex and oil-based before you leave. Keep oil-based paint in its original labeled can, packed upright in a box or tote lined with newspaper. Have your license ready, and plan to unload your own car.
Full preparation checklist →No. Metro stopped taking latex there in 2014. Dry it and put it in your trash, or donate full unused cans.
Yes, for Davidson County households, up to 15 gallons or 100 pounds a month.
No. Metro says it takes no hazardous waste from out-of-county residents. Use your own county's program.
No. Metro refuses business waste and anything in a commercial or work vehicle, including cars with business signs.
Solid all the way through. Let thin layers air-dry, or mix in kitty litter or a hardener, then bag the can.
October 7, 2026: read Metro Nashville's household hazardous waste page (updated April 22, 2026), convenience center policies page (updated May 28, 2026), hours and locations page (updated July 10, 2026), and Metro's latex paint disposal PDF; TDEC's household hazardous waste page and 2026 mobile schedule; Habitat Nashville's ReStore donation list; and PaintCare's locator data for Metro's two hazardous waste sites. Omohundro is named on Metro's page only for cooking grease, not paint. Metro's latex PDF still lists an old phone (615-880-1000) and a retired web address; we used the current 615-862-5000. We did not find a list of Metro holiday dates for the rest of 2026. The Harding Place GPS tip comes from PaintCare's listing, not Metro's page.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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